Although expectations were higher for Team Honda HRC at the Daytona Supercross by Honda, the squad was pleased with Trey Canard’s solid sixth-place finish and Cole Seely’s ability to rebound from a first-lap crash to complete the race in 10th.

Canard put himself in a good position at the start of the 20-lap main event, launching his CRF450R to a decent start and working his way to seventh by the completion of the opening lap. While running fifth at the halfway mark, Canard had a close call in the whoops, causing him to relinquish one position, which is where he would finish. It was a tough night for Seely, who tangled with a group of riders on the first lap and rejoined the race second-to-last. An impressive come-from-behind performance carried him to 10th by the checkered flag.

 

NOTES

  • On Friday, Team Honda HRC and GEICO Honda riders participated in the pre-event press day, where they spoke with local media and were given the opportunity to try out a section of the track ahead of Saturday’s race. ”Even though they don’t let us ride very long here, it’s still beneficial to be able to preview a part of the track and kind of check out the layout and dirt prior to Saturday,” Canard explained.
  • Team Honda HRC provided special access to a group of promotional winners for Daytona International Speedway, organizing a rig tour and opportunity to meet Canard and Seely prior to the race. The riders signed autographs and took photos with the fans before getting geared up for the night program.
  • During the daytime qualifying practice sessions, Canard’s 1:05.589 lap, which was logged in the second session, was fifth-quickest, while teammate Seely clocked a 1:06.396 for 11th. Bogle secured seventh with a 1:06.018 lap.
  • Once again, all three factory Honda riders were slotted in 450SX heat 2. Canard was able to score a transfer spot directly into the main event via a third-place finish, but Seely and Bogle weren’t as lucky and were forced into the semis, in which they each finished third.
  • Next weekend, the Honda Red Riders head north of the border to Toronto, Canada, for round 9 of the AMA Supercross Series.

 

THE FOCUS: Honda and Daytona—a Quarter-Century Together

Once again, the Daytona track was lined with red Honda signage, as this marked the 25th season that Honda has been the title sponsor of the Daytona Supercross by Honda.

The night before the race, Honda hosted a Daytona Kick-Off Party, which featured Red Riders across a broad array of racing disciplines: Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard and Cole Seely; GEICO Honda riders Justin Bogle, RJ Hampshire and Malcolm Stewart; JCR GNCC racers Chris Bach and Trevor Bollinger; and AMA Pro Flat Track racer Shayna Texter all participated in an autograph sessions and interviews. Signed jerseys were raffled off, and donations were collected to help support Ride for Kids and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Ride for Kids also displayed its project bike, a Klock Werks-customized Honda Gold Wing F6B.

Honda has a big presence for the entire Daytona Bike Week, with a tent in the new Midway area. The line of Honda motorcycles is on display (fans can try out the NC700X’s automatic Dual Clutch Transmission on a portable dynamometer), and a collection of vintage Honda factory motocross, road race and flat track bikes is displayed as well.

Honda’s Bike Week racing isn’t limited to the Daytona Supercross by Honda; on Sunday following the race, Bollinger rode his CRF250R to the XC2 victory at the Wild Boar GNCC in Palatka (Bach was fourth in XC1), and Texter is slated to race at the Daytona Flat Track this Thursday and Friday.

Trey Canard 41

Today was better, but I still didn’t finish where I would’ve liked to. All in all though, I think it went pretty good and I’m happy to finish inside the top 10 and be leaving healthy, considering the season I’ve been having. I really think I just raced better today overall. I felt good in the main event was able to regroup after almost going down in the whoops, to still finish strong. I wasn’t a huge fan of the track, and I don’t think many guys were; it was just too tight and there wasn’t a whole lot of room to make passes. I can’t complain too much because we all had to race the same course.

AMA Supercross 2016
Race Round 9   Daytona Beach

450SX Main Event Results

Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
2 Dungey Ryan 5 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
3 Musquin Marvin 25 FRA Red Bull KTM KTM
4 Anderson Jason 21 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
5 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
6 Canard Trey 41 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
7 Grant Joshua 33 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
8 Pourcel Christophe 377 FRA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
9 Brayton Justin 10 USA Muc-Off Honda Honda
11 Bogle Justin 19 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
12 Reed Chad 22 AUS Mountain Motorsports/CBDmd/CR22 Racing KTM
13 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
14 Friese Vince 62 USA SmarTop/Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda Honda
15 Cunningham Kyle 39 USA H.E.P Motorsports Suzuki
16 Alessi Mike 800 USA Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda Honda
17 Weimer Jacob 12 USA RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy Johns Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
18 Peick Weston 23 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
19 Millsaps David 18 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
20 Schmidt Nicholas USA TPJ/Fly Racing Suzuki
21 Nicoletti Phillip 46 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Yamaha
22 Hahn Thomas 47 USA Cycletrader.com/ Rock River Yamaha Yamaha
Location Information

Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL, United States - View in Google Maps